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WEDNESDAI SEPTEMBER 4 2OI9
DoLE to delay forwarding
tenure bill to Congress
LABOR Secretary Silvestre H.
Bello III said his department
will submit its draft Security
of Tenure (SoT) bill later this
year after legislators finalize
the 2O2O budget, further de-
laying the new version of the
vetoed measure, *hich was
originally to be forwarded to
Congress inAugust.
Mr. Bello told reporters he
is waiting for Congress to clear
its calendar because legislators
are currently preoccupied with
the P4.I trillion 2020 budget.
" Nagfofocrts ang Congress
sa budget (Congress is focusing
on the budget," he said.
The House leadership
is currently hard-pressed
to remain on track for the
budget's approval after the
four-months-delayed 2O19
Budget, which was biamed for
redpcing economic growth
after government contrac-
tors missed large parts of the
critical dry-season construc-
tion window.
On Sept. I, Camarines Sur
2"d district Rep. Luis Raymund
F. Villafuerte Jr. called for the
withdrawal of the General Ap-
propriations Bill (GAB) for be-
ing "premature" because the
individual budget hearings of
various agencies have not yet
been compieted.
Speaker AIan Peter S. Cay-
etano has said issues raised
by Mr. Villafuerte have been
addressed and the budget will
be on track for its scheduled
October passage.
The SoT measure from the
lTth Congress, or Ser;ate Bill
1826, was vetoed by President
Rodrigo R. Duterte in July. He
$$ersfua**sWorld
noted that the bill does not
allow business. the flexibil-
ity to hire workers and could
harm the investment climate.
The Palace later requested
the Department of Labor and
Employment (DoLE) to come
up with its own version of the
SoT Bill.
Mr. Bello said he will be
holding monthly meetings with
the labor sector to address its
concerns over the newbill.
"Meron kaming (We have
an) agreement and itwas apro-
posal on my part that we will
have a monthly meeting every
last Tuesday of the month. (It
will start) this month," he said.
Mr. Bello added DoLE is
ewaiting inputs from employ-
ers groups. After consolidat-
ing the input ofboth the labor
and management sectors, he
is set to send the draft to be-
fore finally submitting the
final bill.
"We have already gave a
copy of the proposed draft
SoT bill but before finalizing
we gave a copy of this SoT
bill to labor and management
for them to propose some
revision and additional provi-
sion," he said.
"Afterwe get the inputsfrom
labor and management, we will
meet with Execirtive Secretary
Salvador C. Medialdea to come
up with a proposed bill."
DoLE will also be consult-
ing with the Department of
Finance (DoF), National Eco-
nomic Development Author-
ity (NEDA), and the Depart-
ment of Trade and Industry
(DTI) regarding the SoT Bill.
- Gillian M. Cortez